Cable or DSL? Which is better?

Question

I'm buying a new Dell today and have a question.

I'm adding a dial-up modem to the system because of the following:

We currently have cable broadband in our small community, but DSL is a couple of months away, at least. I've been told by a friend locally to wait on the DSL ... it will be better, and maybe even cheaper. So, I'm adding the modem so I can be online in the interim, until DSL arrives.

My question is whether or not cable or DSL is what I want now, and for the future. If the answer is clearly cable, then I shouldn't get a modem on this new system in anticipation of DSL being here soon and just go ahead and get cable.

Any thoughts what you would do in my position?

Thanks for your advice in advance!

Bill

mastersgtbob · Answer

I don't know if I can be of any help. I've always been told that cable is much faster then DSL. Our local phone company (Bellsouth), claims they can hook me up to DSL. I live in the sticks, yet we are part of a city. We don't have cable so it's either DSL or Satellite. I have been asking if it's possible to connect to wireless with a dialup modem, and I'm still confused, some say yes and some say no. If you have cable, I'd go with that until you get connected to DSL. I also understand that with cable or DSL, you stand a better chance of connecting to wireless?

Sorry if I sound unsure of myself, but I'm still learning this new media format myself.

mastersgtbob................

MikeNJLab · Answer

I would go with cable it seems more stable and reliable, you have to put filters into your phone jack in order to keep using your phone, also all the connections in the phone line (Jacks, entry points ) have to be good and tight. I have done a DSL Installation were the connection keped dropping and it was not until I traced it out to the entry block in the garage. that I found a loose connection. Also in my area when you subscribe to cable internet, you get basic TV cable for free. The cable company does not tell you that of course and they want to sell you that service, but they have no way of blocking the basic signal.

Mike

Honest Bill · Answer

Hey, don't feel badly ... when it comes to broadband, I'm as confused as you. Maybe this thread will result in some answers. Come on, you Einsteinian nerds, you ... help us idgits out. Bill

volcano11 · Answer

I am somewhat prejudice becasue I have had cable for nearly 4 years and am very pleased with it. In general, cable is faster than dsl. Several years ago the argument was that as more and more cable subscribers are enrolled, a node could become saturated and all users on the same node would then suffer a decrease in speed. That was the argument the dsl providers used to try to convice cable that dsl was better. So far these predictions have not been validated, probably because few nodes get over subsribed and, if they do, the cable company can split the nodes to regain faster service. In my area, as a cable TV subscriber, the cable internet connection was cheaper than the dsl connection. Now, the dsl providers in my area are offereing slower connections for lower prices. I'll stick with the speed and reliability of cable. Reliability depends on the provider. To check out reliability for providers that service your area, check out the forums at www.dslreports.com

Steve

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Cable or DSL? Which is better?

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